Crowder College looks to expand in McDonald County - KOAM TV 7

Crowder College looks to expand in McDonald County

Crowder College is ready to grow even bigger after buying property in McDonald County.

Crowder board members voted last night to spend $750,000 on 7.8 acres of land that will eventually be used to build a McDonald County campus.

The land sits on Larry Neff Drive just off Highway 71 in Jane, Missouri.  The land is part of property owned by Freeman Health System.  Crowder already owned another plot of land in McDonald County but an existing stoplight made the new spot more attractive and offered a safer entry for students.

Crowder is opening a nursing school in Pineville this Fall and already operates some classes at the McDonald County High School.  Officials say the new campus will not only serve those students but should grow the school.

"The thing about that is they're only going in the evenings so if we make daytime classes available you've got a lot more opportunity there for traditional students or people who want to go to school in the day, who can't go in the evening," says Cindy Brown, the Crowder College Director of Public Information.  "I think the numbers will grow and they have continued to grow with the offerings we've had."

Crowder has been fundraising for a McDonald County campus with plans drawn for it and has raised $1.3 million for what could cost between $4 million and $5 million to build.

Right now officials plan to apply for a FEMA grant to include a storm shelter at the campus for the community, which could change the cost of the building.

Crowder says they have found success in its other satellite campuses and by offering classes in McDonald County they also hope to pull more students from Arkansas.  Also, McDonald County provides tax income for Crowder and it wants to serve those taxpayers.